Green is the color between blue and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495–570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combination of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; in the RGB color model, used on television and computer screens, it is one of the additive primary colors, along with red and blue, which are mixed in different combinations to create all other colors. By far the largest contributor to green in nature is chlorophyll, the chemical by which plants photosynthesize and convert sunlight into chemical energy. Many creatures have adapted to their green environments by taking on a green hue themselves as camouflage. Several minerals have a green color, including the emerald, which is colored green by its chromium content.
During post-classical and early modern Europe, green was the color commonly associated with wealth, merchants, bankers and the gentry, while red was reserved for the nobility. For this reason, the costume of the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci and the benches in the British House of Commons are green while those in the House of Lords are red. It also has a long historical tradition as the color of Ireland and of Gaelic culture. It is the historic color of Islam, representing the lush vegetation of Paradise. It was the color of the banner of Muhammad, and is found in the flags of nearly all Islamic countries.
In surveys made in American, European, and Islamic countries, green is the color most commonly associated with nature, life, health, youth, spring, hope, and envy. In the European Union and the United States, green is also sometimes associated with toxicity and poor health, but in China and most of Asia, its associations are very positive, as the symbol of fertility and happiness. Because of its association with nature, it is the color of the environmental movement. Political groups advocating environmental protection and social justice describe themselves as part of the Green movement, some naming themselves Green parties. This has led to similar campaigns in advertising, as companies have sold green, or environmentally friendly, products. Green is also the traditional color of safety and permission; a green light means go ahead, a green card permits permanent residence in the United States.
Etymology and linguistic definitions
The word green comes from the Middle English and Old English word grene, which, like the German word grün, has the same root as the words grass and grow. It is from a Common Germanic *gronja-, which is also reflected in Old Norse grænn, Old High German gruoni (but unattested in East Germanic), ultimately from a PIE root *ghre- “to grow”, and root-cognate with grass and to grow. The first recorded use of the word as a color term in Old English dates to ca. AD 700.
Latin with viridis also has a genuine and widely used term for “green”. Related to virere “to grow” and ver “spring”, it gave rise to words in several Romance languages, French vert, Italian verde (and English vert, verdure etc.). Likewise the Slavic languages with zelenъ. Ancient Greek also had a term for yellowish, pale green – χλωρός, chloros (cf. the color of chlorine), cognate with χλοερός “verdant” and χλόη “chloe, the green of new growth”.
Thus, the languages mentioned above (Germanic, Romance, Slavic, Greek) have old terms for “green” which are derived from words for fresh, sprouting vegetation. However, comparative linguistics makes clear that these terms were coined independently, over the past few millennia, and there is no identifiable single Proto-Indo-European or word for “green”. For example, the Slavic zelenъ is cognate with Sanskrit hari “yellow, ochre, golden”. The Turkmen word ösük is “green” but ösük “blue” (kyök) in Turkish, suggesting a lack of a general word for “blue”, which was just derived from the Turkic/Persian word for “sky”, kök (cf. November).
A more common Indo-European root for “green” is represented by Latin prasinus, Greek πράσινος, Old Church Slavonic зеленъ, Lithuanian žalias, Old Irish glass, Welsh glas, all meaning “green, gray-green, pale-green; withered grass or leaves”.
The Persian and other Iranian languages have an extensive vocabulary for varieties of green with at least at least six completely distinct words:
– سبز sabz – fresh green of vegetation specifically the spring growth
– خضراض xaḍrā – green generally, especially used with plants and agriculture
– زردآبی zardābī – fresh yellow-green, especially new growth
– آبی ābī – a bright fresh blue-green
– قرمزی qarmazī – yellow-green approaching red/orange
– سرخآبی sorxābī – yellow-green approaching red/orange
These duplicated terms for green have in turn been borrowed into other languages. For example, sabz is Persian for “green”, used in Urdu and Hindi, where it refers to liveliness.
Color vision and colorimetry
| Color | Wavelength interval | nm |
| Green | 495–570 |
In optics, the perception of green is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 495–570 nm. The sensitivity of the dark-adapted (scotopic) human eye is greatest at about 507 nm, when the Y-receptors are most responsive; and there are also secondary peaks in the sensitivity of the eye at roughly 480 and 440 nm. The perception of greenness (in opposition to redness) is evoked by light which triggers the medium-wavelength M cone cells in the eye more than the long-wavelength L cones.
Light which triggers this green sensitivity maximum in the opponent mechanism, centered around 505 nm, is referred to as g (other letters are used for other parts of the visible spectrum). Medium-wavelength light which triggers the green sensation is thus termed g. The g band runs from about 492 to 577 nm.
The hues oval, chartreuse green and harlequin all lie between green and yellow
Color vision deficiencies
Protanopia is a type of color blindness where the retina is missing the long-wavelength sensitive retinal cones. This means that those with this condition are unable to distinguish between colors in the green–red section of the spectrum. Protans instead have a neutral point around 490 nm. This leaves an often dramatic deficit in brightness perception of reds and greens and makes it impossible to distinguish rubies and emeralds by color alone for those with this condition.
Deuteranopia is another type of color blindness and it too is from the missing cones that detect medium wavelength light of the green–red section of the spectrum. The neutral point of deuteranopia is close to 498 nm. This causes inability to distinguish reds and greens, as well as purples and blues. Anomalous trichromacy is when one of the three cone pigments is altered in its spectral sensitivity.
In science
| Color | Name |
| Green | Malachite green |
| Midnight green |
Green is the color of emeralds, jade and growing grass. In the continuum of colors of visible light it is located between yellow and blue.
Green pigments are largely used as dyes, including the historic Scheele’s green (a copper arsenate) and Schweinfurt green (an arsenic compound formed when copper oxide was used to make green glass). Modern green pigments include phthalocyanine and chromium oxide.
Green has long been the color of life and springtime. It symbolizes hope, growth and renewal. In many folklores, green is associated with resurrection—the return of the dead to life.
In nature
Green is the color most commonly associated in Europe and the United States with nature, vivacity and life. It is the color of living grass and leaves and as a result is the color most associated with springtime, growth and nature.
Green is the color you see when you look at plants. The green color comes from chlorophyll, a chemical plants use to turn sunlight into food. When sunlight strikes the leaf, plants turn the light into chemical energy to make food. That color is green. The more the sunlight, the more green plants produce through photosynthesis. During spring, when plants begin producing new leaves and stems, there is more chlorophyll, so plants are greener. Mature summer leaves produce less chlorophyll, so many look yellow or orange during fall. Evergreen trees and bushes that endure frigid northern winters have vibrant greenery all year long.
Metaphorically, whereas green represents growth, rebirth, and fertility. It is often used to represent environmental concerns, such as recycling and concerns about global warming. Having a “green thumb” means being an excellent gardener. Green also represents tranquility, good luck, health, and jealousy. Green is strongly associated with a calm serenity or a dormant, but intense, life force. The Green Man is personification of the life force: the plants and greenery that cover the land. He is most commonly depicted in foliage head masks.
Green eyes
Green eyes probably resulted from the presence of a very small amount of an amber or light brown pigmentation in the iris. In northern and central Europe, green is the most common eye color. The green color is caused by the presence of small amounts of collagen and lipochromes in the iris.
| Region or ethnicity | Percentage of population with green eyes |
| Northern Europe | 89% |
| Central Europe | 59% |
Green eyes are most common in northern, central, and western Europe. About 16% of Caucasians in northern Europe have green eyes. In Iceland, 89% of women and 87% of men have either blue or green eye color. A study of Icelandic and Dutch adults found green eyes to be much more prevalent in women than in men.
Among European Americans, green eyes are most common among those of recent Celtic and Germanic ancestry. 37.2% of Irish people have green eyes, and 35.5% of Scottish people have hazel or green eye color.
In religion
Green is a symbol of fertility and rebirth. Sometimes, especially in historic and folkloric accounts, the fertility and rebirth attributes of green connect to specific plants like cabbage, bok choy etc. In folk religions, ancient myths and urban legends, cabbage is endowed with some sacred or magical properties that make it fertile.
In Celtic mythology, the Green Man represents fertility and abundance. Green is the sacred color of Islam, representing respect, reverence, life itself. It was the color of the banner of Muhammad and is found in the flags of nearly all Islamic countries.
In the Celtic tradition, green was avoided in clothing for its superstitious association with misfortune and death. Green is thought to be an unlucky color in British and British-derived cultures. However, green is considered lucky in Ireland.
Conclusion
In summary, green is the color between blue and yellow, evoked by light with wavelengths around 495-570nm. It is prevalent in nature as the color of vegetation, due to chlorophyll. Green represents life, growth, renewal and environmentalism. It is considered lucky in some cultures, while unlucky in others. Green eyes are most common in northern and central Europe. Whatever its cultural associations, green is a vibrant color that captures the freshness of spring and promise of new beginnings.
